I've a lecture course on f-block chemistry comming up. This ferrocerium fire starter is an excellent demonstration of just how electropositive lanthanides are.🧪

Molecules I've made (in model from). My very first synthesis in a research context; 4-Ethoxyiodobenzene. The paper described a "yellow oil", for me, colourless crystals that blocked the condenser. Downside; having to muck about with the vacuum distillation. Upside; more pure than those guys. 🧪

Self-indulgent, but found my old Cochrane's student model kit. Making molecules to which I have a connection. From those PhD days (~1992) I made this rhenium(I) trithiacyclononane tricarbonyl cation (unpublished). Spectacular proton NMR, magnetic inequivalence, an AA'A"BB'B"CC'C"DD'D" spin system.🧪

This is camphor; a rigid and chiral ketone. It finds little use these days, but you may encounter it as a component of the taste of Rosemary.🧪#SciComm

This is Anethole; the flavour of aniseed. Soluble in ethanol, but not in water, you see this compound as the cloudy precipitate when you pour your Ricard/Sambuca/Ouzo/Raki over ice. 🧪 #SciComm

This is Zingerone. A much better name than the legal IUPAC one; 4-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl) butan-2-one!
Cooking ginger chemically transforms the gingerol molecule into sweeter and more flavoursome zingerone.🧪 #SciComm

Another small molecule from the "antique" model set:
(R)-Linalool ( C black, H white, O red) is the molecule responsible for the smell of lavender. #SciComm 🧪

"One man's rubbish is another man's treasure"
Rescued lots of grubby old chemistry model sets from a teaching lab clear out. This one scrubbed up well. Not so good free standing - heavy balls, long springs- but okay with the right support.
(R)-Carvone aka spearmint flavour #SciComm 🧪

This vertex and edge truncated (maybe bevelled) tetrahedron seems to be a great shape to build carbon based molecular models. I need to grow it into the diamond structure.🧪